Just a couple of tips that I picked up along the way trying to get those great shoots with my various digital camers. Give them a try if you are not doing them already.

1. Shoot at High Quality
You can squeeze more photographs on to your memory card by adjusting the image quality. I like a lower quality setting which applies higher amounts of JPEG compression. Most cameras let you select from several compression settings. Kodak uses the terms Best, Better, and Good, and Fuji uses the terms Fine, Normal, and Basic. Epson, for example, uses a series of stars. Whenever possible, stick with the highest quality setting. If you really need to squeeze more images onto a nearly full card, switch to the second highest setting. I would not go any lower than that however, your pictures will suffer.

2. Get in Close
My brother in law takes terrible pictures. He always step back too far when he is taking the shots. Pixels are scarce in digital photography so you need to devote as many pixels to the photographic subject that you are shoting. When photographing individuals turn on the LCD and close in until that person fills up much of the screen.

3. Shoot Outside in Indirect Light
Most digital cameras offer built-in flashes, but they are not very good. If you shoot at night or in a dimly lit room, a subject that is just a few feet away will appear as a luminous image against a pitch black background. Best results are achieved by shooting outside or in a naturally lit room during the day. Some cloud cover or tree shadow often helps to soften the harsh color transitions you get in direct sunlight.